7-foot-3 Chinese teenage basketball player goes viral

AAs China's women's basketball team takes the court this week for the Under-18 Asian Cup, held at home in Shenzhen, it's impossible to miss a powerful weapon in its arsenal : Zhang Ziyu, 17, who is 7 feet tall. -3 rounds on everyone on the field.

Standing taller than any WNBA player ever, she has been called a “cheat code” and “uncontrollable” by social media users and compared to Yao Ming, the Chinese basketball legend -retired 7-foot-6 ball player, and Victor Wembanyama, last year's 7-foot-6 player of the year. 4 first NBA picks in France.

It's not hard to see why Zhang is attracting attention: in her international tournament debut, she's already posting impressive stats, shooting 9 of 9 to score 19 points in 13 minutes off the bench as China earned a 109-50 victory over Indonesia on Monday and helped China beat New Zealand 90-68 on Tuesday.

She's scored a total of 55 points in her two games so far this week – and has barely needed to jump.

Women's basketball has seen a resurgence of interest globally, thanks in large part to Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever guard and WNBA sensation coming off a record-breaking college career. Today, Zhang is having his own moment in the spotlight.

Born to professional basketball players, Zhang was 5 feet 2 inches tall when he was in first grade and by sixth grade he was 6 feet 9 inches tall, according to the state agency. World Time.

Zhang's performances in China's youth leagues saw her gradually gain national popularity as the sport's rising star – particularly in 2021, when images of the literally exceptional young woman, then aged 14 years, in the China National U15 Basketball League went viral – but it has soared. gained international fame this week as video montages of her at the Asian Cup rack up millions of views and numerous reactions on social media.

“What do I see?” Spanish sports journalist Luis Vallejo posted on X in response to a video from Zhang. “No, it’s not AI,” another user posted. Others are already anticipating her potential WNBA career when she turns 20 in a few years.

Viewers back home also continue to enjoy Zhang's dominance on the court. On the Chinese microblogging site Weibo, the topic “Zhang Ziyu is too strong” has been viewed more than eight million times. “It’s harassment. There is no way to play the game now,” one article reads.

For his part, Zhang remains humble about his rise. “I consider it a gift to me,” she said of her height, in comments published by the International Basketball Federation. “I can reach the basket easily. But basketball is much more than that. I have to learn a lot.